Jandos Rothstein
A white picket fence fronts a lush green lawn. Just a few steps ahead, a stately house stands tall. Inside the immaculate abode, you can find hearty food along with an adequate supply of all necessities from clothes to toiletries. A new car is parked in the garage. This stereotypical scene, regularly depicted in the mass media, is what many people view as the American dream. Merriam-Webster describes the American dream as “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.” The American dream is thus based on a belief that hard work is a guaranteed ticket to success. Barbara Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed proves that this is entirely false by diving deep into the lives of many regular Americans, taking on the task of several low-wage jobs to ultimately find that it is nearly impossible to hold them and make ends meet. The popular, yet unachievable, ideal of the American dream is unattainable for many hard-working Americans.
“Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara Ehrenreich’s role in Nickel and Dimed is comparable to that of a scientist. She tested her hypothesis that it was possible to make ends meet in the low-wage workforce by conducting an experiment that involved working in three vastly different places in America and taking on various low-wage jobs. Her conclusion was that this was nearly impossible to accomplish. Despite the mental and physical strain each job required, the wages were so sparse that the anxiety of not being able to pay the rent was a constant concern. Even the insufficient conditions of a trailer were much too excessive in price. Rents were too high, while wages were too low. In effect, she has demonstrated that the American dream has become an illusion.
The general misconception about Americans who hold low-wage jobs is that they are apathetic and unskilled. Ehrenreich’s results have proven this belief to be false. In her words, “no job, no matter how lowly, is truly ‘unskilled.’” Her experiences in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota show that the people who take part in low-wage jobs are quite capable. They can even be described as talented, dedicated, and hardworking. Although low-wage jobs can seem unappealing, low-wage workers are far from that. From handling agonizing and tedious hours at one job, to promptly rushing to an additional job, it is no doubt that these workers are extremely assiduous and persistent.
The book surely teaches the young generation, especially from the more affluent families, to avoid making judgments about low-wage workers that are not only utterly degrading and belittling to them but simply untrue. Low-wage workers lead a hard life of repetitive monotony. As Ehrenreich put it, “What you don’t necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you’re actually selling is your life.” By working numerous low-wage jobs at once, she has experienced an adverse effect on the lives of her fellow co-workers. When you perform low-wage work, your life is transformed into an endless cycle of working by the hour until you physically cannot maintain a job.
Managers often look down on low-wage workers. Ehrenreich states that “our time is so cheap they don’t care if we waste it … That’s what’s so insulting.” This comment was made during her time at Walmart in Minnesota when she reflected on the company’s policy regarding time theft. Time theft was defined as doing anything other than working during company time, which, at Walmart, was said to not be an issue. At first glance, their relatively serene work atmosphere could seem to be an amenity, but when reflecting on this policy, it seems as if they do not view their employees as valuable or proficient enough to successfully complete their job. They seem to imply that they are not dedicated enough to their work, and therefore will become negligent toward it, regardless of other co-workers monitoring them for time theft.
In sum, the author makes it abundantly clear that having a job and working hard does not guarantee the American dream. The American dream can still be achieved, but it now requires education and specialized skills to compete in the global economy. Although I am only a high school freshman, I have experienced the American dream through my father. A Russian immigrant who came to America as he turned 18 years old, he progressed from working as a waiter at Denny’s to having major success in finance.
However, his path to success involved education from the top schools, and many low-wage workers do not have access to this type of luxury. Many of the workers mentioned in Nickel and Dimed had families to support, with barely enough money to put food on the table. Paying for further education would have been nearly impossible. While my father’s success is laudable, he has advanced in an increasingly unequal society. Success in America is possible, but hard work alone does not guarantee it.
